31 Lessons I’ve Learned So Far

What an auspicious day! I’m 31 years old on the 31st, with a blue moon shining tonight.

In my quest for self-discovery and self-creation, I’m always scribbling pieces of advice to myself in the margins of notebooks and on sticky notes in my office. I try to integrate these learnings and apply them in my life as best I can. (though I seem to forget them and then rediscover them often.)

As a birthday reflection, here’s a roundup of 31 little nuggets of insight I’ve received along the way.

Hope you enjoy!

1. Life is an epic adventure.

2. At the end, we all die.

3. Have courage to tell the truth.

4. Observe with wonder and curiosity.

5. Ask for help.

6. You can only love others as much as you love yourself.

7. Pursue activities on a daily basis that make you feel alive.

8. ‘No’ is a perfectly acceptable answer.

9. Be clear about what you want, and communicate it well to others.

10. Listen to your body and the rhythms of your energy.

11. Honor your needs for intimacy and passion.

12. Check in daily with your thoughts and feelings.

13. Don’t feel guilty to put yourself first.

14. Accept what is.

15. Be bold about determining what’s worth saving, and what to scrap.

16. Avoid toxic people and drama.

17. Transform ‘work’ into creative play.

18. Control is an illusion. Let go.

19. Contribute to signal. Reduce noise.

20. Boundaries are important.

21. Without structure, creativity devolves to chaos.

22. Vulnerability is power.

23. Trust yourself.

24. Much of the world can be healed through dialogue.

25. Your tribe is out there waiting for you.

26. Share your gifts often.

27. Anchor in your purpose.

28. Face your demons.

29. The meaning of life is determined by us.

30. The past and future are beautiful, yet dangerous rabbitholes. Be present.

You’ve come so very far, and helped so many others do the same. As all of us learn that scary combination of #’s 31 and 29, it’s at least a point of relief that #25 is turning out to be true.

That being said, no matter what other “deliverables” may appear, I hope you take great joy in the realization that in bringing this tribe together, and in connecting people, you have been instrumental in a task that bears having ENORMOUS impact on our paradigm shift again. For that I (and we, I feel confident in saying) will always be grateful. I’m proud of you. Happy 31 31 31 ❤

Happy Birthday, Venessa. I think my 31st birthday was celebrated with a muffin and a wooden match while delivering a boat up the coast from San Francisco to Seattle. Great list of lessons learned. Think I’ll post it on the wall.

happy BD, you are kin 220, end of the 11th run of 13 x 20 in the
tzolkin of a dreamspell scheme … which has oracle crosses where
one is flanked by 4 others, a guide, a challenge, an occultage and a
destiny (yours kin 90, same as my 87yo mommie) .. in a tarot
lay-out fashion revolving like clockwork .. I recently discovered a
hungarian doing an elegant 3D version of the I-Ching called Yi-Globe
by the way.

other crystal (means 12 in the 4th before last, 16th ‘wave’, 13
‘tones’ each) kin flank you except for the dragon, occulted, it’s the
first seal and stands for beginnings … perhaps you cannot REALLY
decide where to begin??

Arguelles is a subject i like to study a lot more than i get help with
and nudged for in the way of people who do exegeses on any
branch of his many wild tie-ins and colourful constellations; i call
him a matrologist.

You try tie reps to credibility to actually bankable credit and clout
… no small feat either.Present currentizers and -teazers have root
and powder phobia. They can’t seem to take a hint about time
factors involved in the healing scheme Jesus learned from
Cernunnos, a nordic god who brought roman ones to heel; don’t
tell me a jewish occupy Temple street militoutcast wouldn’t prick
his ears up at money that builds soilbanks and heals heals trice
heals.

In short, economocksins that saviours die for and the jealous kill
for is a combinatorian art also. Bit of a judgement call .. collocation
.. account clearance … wary of unnecessary E-waste dangers.

Happy Birthday Vanessa. The wisdom you have gleaned in 31 years takes most people a lifetime to comprehend. May the brilliance of your heart, soul, mind and spirit be reflected back to you by all of the people whose lives you touch with your positive energy and deep insight. Hope you had a spectacular day.

I went back and re-read this today. I have enjoyed your blog for some time now. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself personally and professionally. I was struck by the wisdom beyond your years. Happy belated birthday. It’s a great thing that you were born. 🙂

Venessa. I love this. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a link on this so I could share it on Twitter or FB or LI- or do you intentionally not have it so that it is for your private tribe? Happy belated birthday and keep on inspiring us!! Hugs, Wendy

yo, wendy, check the ‘share’ link at the end of the post; steer your mouse on it and see what happens; some grunts in killaborateerie E-waste cuebuckles help us to ‘share’; wondrous innit?
Whose product are we sharing here?
Ain’t truth and code contradictory and polar opposites?
Can they help us find a balance between/as homo ‘photosynthiens’ and homo obscurans/absconditas( .. abscondosis)?

So much rock worked up into hollow space would benefit the congregation more when worked down into soily substance.

i mean, i am as over digitalia (hyper promissorryness) as McLuhan was above the noosphere E-wasting metastasis of religious feeling; he liked the old hands free type solve saliva salvotion.